Betta Fish Vase

Question
Mr. Coleman

Over the pastt 2 weeks I have been caring for a roommate's two betta fish in individual plant vase fish-bowls.  You the kind, where the lillies sit in a plastic tray at the top with the roots hanging down and the bettas swim around.

Anyway, she has been having trouble fully separating from her old apartment and boyfriend to our place so I have been feeding them.  She told me the pet store person said you can't overfeed bettas and another pet store guy told me that these types of vases don't need regular cleaning as the plants filter the water.

At any rate, not really getting much information about how to care for them, I thought I was doing alright.  I gave them each a pinch (apprx. 15-20 pellets) of their food each day and strained any solid floating things out of the water.  I even talked to them sevral times a day.  I thought I was doing alright untl 3 days ago, I noticed the water was a little murky.

I didn't think much of it until this morning when I went to feed them and was shocked that water had become 3x as cloudy in just 30 hrs.  I was scared tofnd them missing.  Then I noticed that both fish had shoved themselves into the roots of the plants and were dead.

I suspect that I may have in fact been overfeeding them but there is so much discrepancy.  Also, I found out there are supposed to be water conditioners used for betta, and a plastic straw which should be inserted halfway so they can get air, but again, even with these things there are other people who say they are not needed.  I'm so sad that I did this and when I tell her, I'd like to tell her why it happened.

Answer
Hi Matt,
 Seems like you have ended up in the middle of something. Sorry to hear that.  In general, I
highly discourage people from keeping bettas in those vases.  That is not a proper environment for a betta even though they are routinely sold that way.  

 Yes, you were overfeeding them.  Two or three pellets a day would have been plenty. A little fish's stomach is very small and most people give them way too much food.  

 Every fish tank needs to be cleaned (once again, despite what some people will tell you).  In general, it is a good idea to change 25% of the water once a week, every week, to keep your fish happy and healthy.   

 A betta does not need a straw or an airstone in the tank because they can breathe air at the surface of the water.  That does not mean that they wouldn't be happy if there was an airstone in the tank.  I don't see that a straw will do anything at all for them.  

-- Ron C.
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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